A Dozen Baking Cleanup Tips To Prevent Uninvited Holiday Pests

A DOZEN BAKING CLEANUP TIPS TO PREVENT UNINVITED HOLIDAY PESTS

Nothing is more comforting than the joyful preparations of a holiday feast. But with all that cooking and baking going on, the inevitable messes and crumbs that fall to the floor can draw roaches to the kitchen as easily as the savory smell of roasting turkey awakens couch potatoes from their football watching.

To help prevent pests like roaches and ants from spoiling the holiday cheer, we present a dozen of kitchen cleaning tips that will help keep pests out of the kitchen now and all year long.

  1. Prep your kitchen. Clearing out your refrigerator and pantry will help create more storage space for your goodies and allow you to get rid of any old items that might attract pests.
  2. Inspect your baking supplies. Before you start baking, give flour and other baking materials a quick look over for bugs prior to bringing them into the kitchen.
  3. Clean as you go. Leaving food-covered pots, pans, plates and utensils out is the kind opportunity pests are seeking.
  4. Take out the trash. Don’t allow kitchen garbage cans to overflow. To make disposal easier, double- or triple-line trash cans so you already have a clean bag in place when a full bag is removed.
  5. End your day with a clean slate. Make it a goal to end each day with an empty kitchen sink and a countertop free of clutter.
  6. Make cleanup easier. Try laying newspaper or wax paper beneath food preparations before you start. Crumbs and spills clean up as easily as crumpling up the paper and tossing it in the garbage can.
  7. Wipe down bottles. After you use a jar or bottle, give it quick wipe down before putting away. Jars of peanut butter and other sticky foods can be a big attraction for pests like ants and roaches.
  8. Wash your dishes as you go. It is easy to let dishes pile up and sit in the sink, but that can be a pest paradise.
  9. Keep your kitchen fresh. Try dropping citrus peels down the disposal to keep your kitchen and kitchen sink smelling fresh. As an alternative, make ice cubes from a mixture of water and vinegar and grind those up in the disposal.
  10. Dispose of excess grease. To dispose of grease, line a bowl or other container with aluminum foil. Pour excess grease into bowl and place in refrigerator. In a few hours the grease will harden and you can ball it up in the foil and throw away.
  11. Put a lid on it. Store your recently baked goods in airtight containers. This is especially important overnight; leaving the sugar-rich treats exposed is an open invitation for unwanted guests.
  12. Prevent pests in the future. To keep wandering pests from making a home in your kitchen, place Combat® ant and roach killing baits as a preventative measure.

For more information on how Combat® Baits and Gels work and how to prevent roaches from entering your home and bathroom, view our helpful prevention video. Or click over to our Prevention Tips page.

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